Challenge Log- Thawing Love
by Nightlings of NightClan
Summary: Here is yet another log of challenges written by our outstanding authors on the forum. The prompt for this particular challenge required that our members take us to a scene where to cats, a tom and a she-cat, are playing on the ice. The ice is cracking, and the tom must choose which life to save, the she-cat he loves, or his own?
1. Shira

"Come on, Stonepaw! We have to get back to camp soon! I can't miss my ceremony!"

Stonepaw stared into the beautiful orange eyes of Flamepaw, which were now flickering with concern.

A familiar tug on his heart sent a shiver through him, and he forced himself to look away from her hypnotic gaze.

Not to be deterred, the pretty golden tabby she-cat nudged her best friend. "Stonepaw? You still with me, rabbitbrain?"

Stonepaw shook out his pale grey and white patched pelt, returning his attention to his friend. "What? Oh, sorry."

Flamepaw rolled her eyes, purring, "What? Am I too boring for you?"

 _Far from it._ Stonepaw bit back the words, and gave a shaky laugh. "No, of course not! I-" At this he stared at his paws. "I was just thinking about how I was going to miss you." he mumbled out, focusing on the snow at his feet like it were the most interesting thing around.

He felt a lick on his ear. "Miss me? Stonepaw, it's my _warrior ceremony_ , not my death! I'll literally be one den over! Yeah, I'll have more duties now, but I'll always find time to visit you in the medicine den!"

 _Yeah, like when you're expecting_ kits _with some other warrior who won't deserve you!_

 _No, stop!_ Stonepaw growled, trying to chase the treasonous thoughts out of his head. So what if Flamepaw found a mate who cared about her? He was a _medicine cat_. When he chose his path, he put that life behind him. Even if the choice wasn't exactly voluntary...

"Stonepaw?" Flamepaw's voice held concern in it, and he couldn't help but feel a trickle of warmth that she cared about him. "What is it? Is it-"

Stonepaw flinched as his friend's gaze took on that awful look of pity. "Are your lungs alright?" Flamepaw whispered.

Anger flared through Stonepaw. "I'm _fine!_ " he snapped.

As if even his own body was against him, he suddenly felt that horribly familiar sensation of his lungs being constricted by an unknown force. Black spots danced in his eyes, and he felt his legs beginning to crumple. He burst into a horrible hacking cough, feeling as if he was coughing up his entire insides.

"Oh my StarClan, Stonepaw! Lay down!" Flamepaw pushed him onto the fluffy snow where they were sitting and began to rub his chest. Gradually, Stonepaw found he could breathe again, and once he collected his breath, immediately felt like he would burn through the snow with shame.

 _Stupid lungs! Why didn't I just die that day?!_

His mind swept him away back to that horrible night when he was three moons old. The summer had been so hot and so dry that not even the marshy land where RiverClan lived was safe from the danger of a wildfire. The dry heather of the WindClan camp had been ablaze, and in the chaos, young Stonekit was left behind. They found him later when they returned to camp after the fire had passed, barely alive and hiding in a patch of gorse that had been left unscorched. He had no idea how the medicine cat, Blackwing, had managed to save him, but his lungs had suffered permanent damage from the smoke. he would often suffer fits like the most recent one, and would get out of breath easily. Blackwing, Fernstar, and even his mother Cindercloud all agreed that a warrior's life would be much too strenuous on poor Stonekit, and eventually coaxed him to become Blackwing's successor, the next WindClan medicine cat.

Stonepaw shoved the awful memory to the back of his head, and forced himself to stand back up, meeting the she-cat he loved's horrified fiery gaze.

"It's alright, Flamepaw," he reassured the anxious golden tabby. "Just couldn't find air for a moment."  
Flamepaw's eyes narrowed. "Okay, Stonepaw, I trust your judgement. But we're going back to camp _now_. It's not just because of my ceremony, you need to rest."

Stonepaw's tail drooped. He had been so happy when Flamepaw had accepted his invitation to go on one last morning walk as an apprentice this morning, hoping this might help him let her go. Now he felt more miserable than ever.

As the two trudged back to camp, he found it harder and harder to meet Flamepaw's pitied gaze, and suddenly felt the need to remove it.

"Hey, Flamepaw!" he exclaimed, pawing at her flank. "Bet I can beat you home!"

Flamepaw frowned. "Are you sure you're up for it? I don't want-"

"Oh, _relax_!" Stonepaw cut her off, bouncing excitedly on his toes. "Exercise is good for my lungs!" He paused, whiskers twitching mischievously. "That is, unless you don't think an almost warrior can beat a lowly medicine cat apprentice!"

Flamepaw's eyes flashed. "Oh, I don't think so, I _know_ so!" she boasted, golden tail lashing in excitement.

"Prove it!" Stonepaw taunted. "Catch me if you can, badgerbreath!"

Flicking a paw, he sent a freezing burst of snow into Flamepaw's face, ignoring her surprised splutter, and whirling around and haring off in the direction of camp.

"You'll pay for that, you foxheart!" Flamepaw cried from behind him.

Stonepaw plowed through the snowdrifts, lungs burning, but he didn't care. He could hear Flamepaw running behind him, and forced his legs to move faster. His eyes were fixed completely ahead, making him completely oblivious to the tree root hidden under the snow that he tripped over with a surprised yowl.

He landed in the snow with a grunt, unfortunately directly in the path of Flamepaw who couldn't stop in time.

"Watch out!"

Flamepaw slammed into Stonepaw, and they both went flying. And now they were falling.

 _Wait, what?_

Stonepaw tumbled paws over tail down what must have been a very steep hill, smashing his nose on something and breathing in snow. The world spun around him, and he could Flamepaw's screech as she went down after him.

Eventually, Stonepaw slammed into something very hard, swearing he could hear the _crack_ of the impact of his body on the surface and felt himself sliding, gradually slowing down, then finally coming to a stop.

Stonepaw groaned, slowly working his various appendages. Nothing seemed broken, luckily, but he felt freezing! He inhaled deeply, finally recognizing the scent of the surface he was on.

 _Ice! We must have rolled onto the lake_!

Stonepaw got cautiously to his paws, claws out to prevent himself from sliding. His head was still dizzy from his fall, so he shook it, trying to clear his vision and that annoying _cracking_ noise that wouldn't get out of his ears.

Suddenly, a terrified cry split the air.

His heart froze. _Flamepaw!_

He whipped around towards the sound of her call, and gasped.

The _cracking_ noise he had heard was the ice on the lake, to thin to support a cat's weight for long, and he stared in horror towards a gaping hole in the lake, out of which clung the achingly familiar golden shape of Flamepaw, front paws scrabbling wildly at the ice around her that was rapidly breaking, cracks spiderwebbing out from where Flamepaw had fell in.

Her panicked flaming gaze met Stonepaw's, and she forced out, "St-s-Stonep-p-p-paw! H-h-elp!"

The tabby was trembling from the temperature of the lake, and Stonepaw knew she wouldn't make it if she didn't get out soon.

He started forward towards his friend, but stopped in horror as another crack rang out, ice splintering under his paws.

Stonepaw hissed. He made himself as light as he possibly could, and inched his way more slowly. But yet another crack came, and he froze, ignoring Flamepaw's frightened whimpers and forced himself to think.

 _If I'm not careful, we could both go through! Can I even make it?_

He eyed the ice nervously. Flamepaw cried out, "P-pleassse, I-"

She was cut short with a shriek as the ice she was clinging to crumbled, ad she scrabbled wildly at the edge for a pawhold, orange gaze wide with utter terror and panic.

Stonepaw looked into those eyes. His chest still ached. _A_ real _warrior would be able to save her!_

He looked at all of her now. Even with her golden fur wet and plastered to her frame and that pleading look in those wide flame colored eyes, Flamepaw was still the most gorgeous cat Stonepaw had ever seen.

 _I have to save her!_ His mind screamed at him to move, but his paws stayed still, forbidden by a darker part of him.

 _What? Why? So she can become a_ warrior _and abandon you? You've seen the way Hawkpaw looks at her and he's receiving his name today too! You'll never amount to anything but to mix herbs and watch other cats live the life you could never. Why let her live?_

Stonepaw took a step back, away from Flamepaw. Her eyes, those beautiful eyes, widened even more. "St-t-onepaw? Whha-"

She screamed as the ice around her broke again.

Stonepaw took another step away.

The ice gave one final crack.

Stonepaw turned his back and walked back toward the land.

He shut his eyes and flattened his ears, ignoring that devastating sound of the splash of something- _someone_ -falling in, that horrible last cry.

I _'m sorry, Flamepaw. If I can't have you, no one can..._


	2. Flygon

It was an early leaf bare morning, and Moonlight and I were going out of camp before everyone woke up. I wanted to ask her today to be my mate, for life. I prodded Moonlight to get up. Once she woke up, were stepped out of camp. Our camp was a clearing surrounded by trees, except for the tunnel entrance. All the dens were made onto the huge hollowed oak trees, and the moss and oak was a great den.

Which the two clans being small, we didn't fight, each warrior slept with their apprentice, the kits with their mothers, and the leader with the deputy. I loved it in MoonClan. The crisp air touched my nose. I looked at my oak nest, at my apprentice Leafpaw, before I took walked out.

I slipped out of clamp with Moonlight by my side. We went out onto the hill over looking the lake and the other clan, PineClan.

I tossed snow at Moonlight's face, and the next thing you know it, we were tussling and playing in the snow. I was playing in the snow with Moonlight, the cat I loved so much. She is the MoonClan deputy. We were tussling in the snow, it was early. I picked some more snow up and tossed it at Moonlight. "Haha!" I laughed when the snow landed on her unsuspecting face.

"Aww, Duskleap, what gives?" she asked playfully. She dashed at me, and we tumbled and turned in the snow, near the slop leading the the lake. I prodded her, "Hay, watch it there!" I said with glee. "And who are you to talk!" Moonlight said, patting my belly with her paw.

I blushed, "It was only a few mice." I smiled, and she smiled too. That smile, and the way we made fun of each other, that's why I loved her. We stopped playing and sat, side by side with our tails twinned together.

"Don't you just love leaf bare?" she said letting her gaze sweep the lake MoonClan and PineClan resided at. "Yeah." I said admiring the lake.

The lake was frozen, and the leaves were battered down from the frost. The grass was cold, but the cats of MoonClan enjoyed leaf bare. The way it brought a sudden peace over the lake, and how beautiful it looked. I looked down at the lake, and I was reminded on how I chose to swim. _"It's an essantial to learn, but very few cat know."_

Suddenly, Moonlight prodded me in the shoulder, "You're it!" I loved it when we played like this, even if Moonlight has responsibilities.

"Oh, are you sure about that?!" I laughed, and we tumbled down the hill, and we landed on the frozen lake. I pushed Moonlight playfully across that lake, and I came skating towards her. We were about two tail lengths from land, and the ice started to crack. "Uhh, Duskleap, this isn't getting exciting anymore!" she warned, "Maybe-" she started, but the ice cracked under her feet and she plunged beneath the surface.

Instantly, I raced to the hole and jumped in to get Moonlight. _Hold on!_ I swam deeper and deeper into the lake. I was very few cats who knew how to swim in the lake. Moonlight pattered her legs, attempting to reach my paws. I grabbed her and pulled her up, but she was to heavy. _I'm not loosing you now!_ I then, with my last bit of strength, pushed her up to the surface onto the ice.

I was overwhelmed with fatigue, and didn't have the strength to keep swimming. But I was glad I got to save my mate, _The next leader of MoonClan._ I sunk to the bottom of the lake, and saw Moonlight stare helplessly down at my drowning figure. I urged her to go, go to the camp, I'll watch her from StarClan. She just stared at me, stuck in place, like time was frozen. She jumped into the water, I presume to try and save me.

I tried to shake my head, but she pattered down and up, not knowing how to swim and hold her breath like me. I shook around, signaling that it was useless. She looked at me with growing eyes, and swam to the surface and walked away from the hole.

I closed my eyes, wanting for this to all be over. And a darkness overcame me.

 **xXx**

 _I can't believe he's gone._ Those words rang over and over in my head. _But he saved me._ Tears dripped down my face, as I walked back to camp in sorrow. Once I reached it, I stood in the clearing waiting for the cats to trickle out, ready for a patrol. "What do I tell Smokestar?" I asked, when suddenly Cloudmist, our medicine cat, shot out into the clearing. "Smokestar is dead!"


	3. Tide

"Look Graycloud, snow!" A golden she-cat gleefully said. "First snow of leafbare." I said while walking over to his mate. "Come on." Goldenfeather called over. She ran into the blanket of pure white snow. "Wait up!" I yelled. "You two are acting more like kits." Dappleleaf laughed. "Maybe you should learn to have fun." Goldenfeather countered. We both started to laugh. Ever since I moved into Riverclan, I learned so much more than in Shadowclan. I even found Goldenfeather to be a optimistic, caring girl other than a harsh, protecting cat.

We laughed and played in the snow before sunrise. The snow kept on coming. The freezing cold temperature hit us to almost unbearable but we didn't care. As long as we where together and having fun, I will withstand any temperature.

Goldenfeather took me near the lake to talk about something she said is really important. "Graycloud, don't freak out, but I'm pregnant with kits." She said. I stood there frozen. "Graycloud? Is everything all right?" She looked worried. "This is wonderful." I screamed. I came up and licked her. "When are they due?" I asked. "Not for another couple moons." She replied. "I can't wait." I said. We looked into each other's eyes. "This is wonderful." I whispered. "I know." She whispered back.

We walked around the lake. Talking about the future. I thought this day could never go wrong. The perfect day. The perfect wonderland, and the perfect mate. The sun is starting to come out. Nothing I thought could go wrong or so in thought.

We where near a snowy cliff when Goldenfeather slipped. I grabbed onto her. She shrieked and closed her eyes. "If alright, I got you." I calmly said. I pulled her up off the slick cliff. She collapsed when I got her up. I panted. "That could have gone worse!" She panted. "Let's hope that never happens, now let's go back to camp." I said. "Yeah." The golden she-cat said.

The cliff started to crumble. "Graycloud?" She asked. "We're putting too much weight on the cliff, run!" I yelled. It was too late, the cliff collapsed. We rolled down the snow covered hill. "Ow!" I muttered. "Goldenfeather, are you alright?" "Yeah." She replied. "Good." I sighed.

I tried to get up, but slipped. "Ice?!" I thought. "We must have landed on the lake!" I slowly got up to find Goldenfeather gone. "Goldenfeather? Goldenfeather? Goldenfeather, where are you?" I called. "Over here." She popped out of a pile of snow. "Your okay, that's good!" I sighed. She started to walk over to me. "Stop, don't come closer." I yelled. "Why?" She asked while continuing to walk. She soon found out why.

She got on to the ice and slid across. She screamed. She stopped sliding and collapsed. "Goldenfeather are you okay?" I frantically asked. I slowly started to walk towards her. She was laughing. "Yeah." She replied. I let out a small laugh. "That was fun, let's do it again." She cheerfully said.

Goldenfeather got up, but a unpleasant cracking sound that came from the ice. "Did you hear that?" I asked. "Yes." She replied. "Come on let's go, I don't want to end up as a frozen fish." I commanded. "I agree." She said.

When Goldenfeather took a step, the ice broke. "Goldenfeather!" I screamed. "Stop, only one of us can come out alive. You have to stand back." She said. "No, I can't leave you to die." I replied. "You must!" She yelled. "But what about our kits." I countered. She stopped. "Our kits, our kits." She thought. She licked her belly and muttered "our kits." Again. "I'm coming." I yelled.

I slid towards her. She started to cry. "I don't want you to die though." She said. "I'm most fit to die in this situation than you. If you die, so does our kits. If I die, only one cat will and that's me." I said. "Please." She said. "Hey, you saved me from a life threatening situation, I think it's time to return the favor." I said. "But you already did." She counter. "You wouldn't have died from the fall." I explained. "Not that, you replayed me with you love." I looked in her eyes.

The staring almost never ended until another crack in the ice. I clenched my eyes shut and leaped for Goldenfeather. "No!" She yelled. "I'm sorry my love. Forgive me." I pleaded. I got her to safety right before the ice broke.

I hit the icy cold water. I floated back to the surface. "Goodbye, Goldenfeather." I said. "No!" She yelled. My vision blurred and fell into Starclan's hands.

A few moons later. "Four kits?!" The medicine cat yelled. "Starclan is being generous to us." Goldenfeather looked at all her kits. Two golden toms, a gray she-cat, and a gray tom. She looked at the two golden kits first. "Sunkit and Oakkit." She named. She turned to the two gray kits. The memory of Graycloud's death flooded into her head. She looked at the gray she-cat. "Icekit." She turned to the gray tom. An exact replica of Graycloud. "Graykit." She named to kit.


	4. Feather

Icefall purred, brushing against his best friend, Featherdrop, as they left the warriors den. Though it had snowed almost every day the past moon, he still felt warm and cozy standing next to her. Heat radiated off her pelt, and as he flicked some moss off her pale silver pelt, a snowflake landed on his snow. He sneezed, scrunching his cold nose before another snowflake could brush it.

"We should all call you Snowsneeze!" Featherdrop teased, flicking him with her tail. Her blue eyes twinkled playfully, and Icefall pretended to be hurt, letting his tail droop. "Then you'd be known as Mosspelt!" he laughed.

The two of them struggled through the shoulder-high snow until they reached the fresh-kill pile, and Icefall found himself even more glad he was WindClan- his light frame and long legs made it easier for him to stay on top of the snow and not in it. As Featherdrop brushed the snow off a rabbit, Skykit and Gorsekit came bounding out of the nursery. "Can we have a badger ride?" Gorsekit demanded.

Letting out a groan, Icefall knew he should have been more careful. His mother's second litter were all sass, and both of them had decided it was their job to spend as much time annoying Icefall as possible.

"Go bother the warriors!" He mewed, turning back to Featherdrop and crouching down to eat.

Two sets of tiny paws scrambled up his back and cuffed his ears. "Give us a badgers ride!" Featherdrop grinned and picked up the two kits by their scruffs, setting them down. "Go to Redpaw and the other apprentices," The beautiful she-cat mewed sternly. "That's an order!" "Your not our mother!" Skykit retorted, her green eyes sparked with anger. "So don't tell us what to do!"

Still, the two kits bounded off, leaving the duo to enjoy their fresh-kill. "I wonder if one of us will ever have kits," Featherdrop mewed curiously. "Or us." Icefall tensed. He wasn't ready for kits, and maybe not a mate, either. "Keep wondering until you can see the future," he mewed tartly, before sighing. "I'm sorry; I spoke too roughly," He murmured.

Featherdrop laughed, standing up. "It's okay! C'mon, let's go out for a run." Icefall jumped to his paws, nodding, and the two dashed out of camp, heading for one of the hills.

Rabbits were darting everywhere, and he couldn't resist chasing after them. He turned away from Featherdrop and bounded after a black-and-white hare, his hind paws kicking up clods of dust. Icefall tensed as they neared a clump of heather, knowing very well that a rabbit burrow could be hidden in the shelter of the plant. Forcing his legs to go faster, he pounded onwards, letting out a great leap to try and catch his prey.

He didn't land on it, but instead a few mouse-lengths in front of it. Icefall spun around, preparing to run some more, only to see that the rabbit had disappeared. "Mouse-dung!" he cursed, flattening his ears. Pricking his ears, he wondered where Featherdrop was. As he stood up to chase another rabbit, something crashed out of the bushed behind him.

Icefall leapt into the air, he whipped his head around to see that his friend was chasing not only the black-and-white hair but a pale brown rabbit! He dashed after them, arching his back and stretching his legs to run faster. The white warrior narrowed his eyes as the wind whipped at his fur, throwing him off balance as he prepared to pounce again.

This time, he made it, and Icefall quickly delivered the killing bite to the brown rabbit as Featherdrop caught the hare. Panting, he leaned against her, realizing they had run through the snow all the way to a hill overlooking the lake. They could see all the territories from here, even a ShadowClan patrol marking the border along the lake shore. Suddenly, Featherdrop let out a hiss. "Is it just me, or is Foxtail in a ThunderClan patrol over there?"

Glancing at where the silver she-cat's tail was pointing, he realized she was right. The bright ginger tom was stalking something- probably a mouse- a few fox-lengths over the border. "Come on!" Icefall hissed. "Let's get him!" "No!" Featherdrop squealed, knocking him to the ground. He frowned, looking up at her. "But he killed your sisters, and he's breaking the code!"

Featherdrop shook her head. "No. If we go get him, he'll just lie about my sisters _and_ crossing the border. Plus, our scent will cover his. It will be best to just tell everyone when we get back to camp."

Icefall rolled over, putting himself on top. "We're heading back already?" He mewed. "We just got out!" Featherdrop didn't reply, instead lunging upwards. "Got you!" she mewed, blue eyes twinkling. Icefall head-butted her shoulder, throwing her off balance, before cuffing her over the ear. "That's no way to treat a warrior!"

"It just happens that I'm a warrior, too!" Featherdrop laughed. "I would think you'd know better, Snowsneeze!" "Mosspelt, how dare you!" Icefall retorted happily, and they began to spar, dodging and leaping and darting and weaving, careful not to injure each other.

Suddenly, a silver blue lunged under Icefall, throwing him to the ground before pinning him there. "I think you should show your deputy more respect, Snowsneeze!" Featherdrop teased. "In fact, I think I'll send you on moon-high patrol _and_ the following dawn patrol!"

"What if I'm your leader?"

"Then I'll be sending Snowstar on patrol!"

"Really? Then I'd have to punish my deputy for trying to order me around!"

"You would never punish me," Featherdrop murmured, and Icefall nodded. "You're right," he mewed. "I would never punish you." They collapsed in a heap at the edge of the hill, sharing tongues as it approached sun-high.

He glanced at the sun, wishing hopefully that, for once, the sun would melt the snow. But the golden orb provided no warmth today, only sunlight, as it had ever since the first snow of leaf-bare. "We'll freeze to death," he muttered, and Featherdrop wiggled closer to him. "No, we won't," he heard her mew sleepily. "You'll keep us warm." And the two of them drifted off to sleep at the top of the hill, snuggled together for warmth and comfort.

Both Icefall and Featherdrop jerked awake as the snow underneath them began to crumble, jumping to their paws. Before either of them could scramble off the patch of snow, it collapsed beneath them and they started rolling down the hill, towards the frozen lake. His ears pinned back in fear, Icefall tried to get in front of Featherdrop to try and protect her, but his paws wouldn't work and the she-cat slowly began to draw ahead of them as they neared the lake.

It could have been only a heart-beat or two, or maybe a few seconds, but it felt like seasons until the world stopped spinning, and Icefall raised his head groggily, his mind blank. "Wh-what?" After a few seconds, he let out a second, desperate cry, the world rushing back. "Featherdrop! Featherdrop, where are you!" Dizzily, he got to his paws and glanced around until he spotted the unmoving bundle of pale silver fur, closer to the middle of the lake.

Icefall stiffened, his fur bushing out as he rocketed towards her, failing to stop next to her and instead sliding on for another dew fox-lengths. He padded back to her, narrowing his eyes against the bright light reflected off the ice, and sniffed her fur. She was still alive, still breathing.

"Featherdrop, wake up!" he mewed, grabbing her scruff. Icefall knew he needed to drag her back to the land before she got frostbite or something worse while the ice clung to her bones. But as he reached forwards, he heard a cracking sound and jumped back. More cracks.

His friend raised her head, and even more cracks came. And then Icefall saw them- wide, quickly-spreading cracks stretching all around them, creeping up on both the cats and the shore. Icefall pulled Featherdrop to her just as the first of the ice started falling. "Run! Quick, Featherdrop! We need to get to the shore!"

Icefall didn't wait for her to respond, pounding back towards the moor, his claws unsheathed in his terror and scraping painfully over the ice, probably breaking it more. He could hear the fait pitter-patters as Featherdrop followed him at a slightly slowly rate, and then nothing.

Freezing with terror for his best friend, Icefall glanced back. Featherdrop had fallen through the ice! He could either go back and try to save her, or head back to shore before the ice broke. The tom pondered his options for a few seconds before a thought struck him. _Featherdrop would want me to live, wouldn't she?_ But he couldn't leave her! Icefall turned around and dashed back to his friend, ice breaking and sinking under his paws.

He dove into the freezing black water, gasping as he realized just how cold he was. Icefall was tempted to get off, but then wild claw marks on the edges of the ice hole reminded him of Featherdrop, and he took a deep gulp of air before swimming below the surface. Far, far below him, he could see a thrashing shape the color of ebony near the murky bottoms of the dark water. She was almost seven badger-lengths, if there was such thing, below him, yet for some reason, he didn't hesitate to dive down further so that he could almost grasp her scruff.

Icefall knew he was running out of air, and so he grabbed her scruff and began to paddle upwards, knowing he would have to be quick. Featherdrop was now limp, probably unconscious, making it even harder. Yet as they neared the surface, he found a burst of strength, forcing the blackness back and bursting into the air, gasping for breath.

Featherdrop stirred, grasping the edges of the ice, and so he let go of her, trying to get out of the water. But the piece of ice he was clinging to- the ice that keeping him above the surface, broke off and sank, and without the will to go on- he had saved Featherdrop, hadn't he?- Icefall let himself go without a struggle.

A few moments later, Featherdrop dove down and grabbed his scruff, pulling him back to the surface. "I'm not letting you go, Icefall!" Featherdrop hissed through gritted teeth. "I would always die for you. Now, I'm going to help you out, and then you're going to run for safety. Let StarClan take me, not you!" Icefall nodded, numb with shock, as she dove back into the water.

Seconds after she dove under, Featherdrop was underneath him, pushing him up and allowing him to scramble out. When he pulled himself onto a small piece of ice, he knew Featherdrop was already gone. "No! No, StarClan, why did you let her do that? It should have been me! Why did _I_ let me let her do it? Why!"

 _I love you, Snowsneeze. Now go! You have merely seconds._ A voice whispered in his ear. Icefall nodded, leaping off the ice and onto a more stable part of it before dashing and pouncing back to shore. _I love you too, Mosspelt. And I can't believe I lost you._ He was frozen, his soaking pelt clinging to his bones, and Featherdrop was dead, but part of him felt strangely happy, warm. _I do love Featherdrop. And I saved her, and then she sacrificed herself to save me. I am in love, a love found on thawing ice._

 _I have found my thawing love._


End file.
